1940-12-14 — Page 9

· THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 14, 1940.

FIRE BOMBS

UP TO NECK IN NET TO CATCH WATER FOR FOUR HOURS IN RAID

(By A Special Correspondent)

TRAPPED BY debris in a flooded basement, with water at times swirling level with his chin, Paddy Jackson, thirty, was rescued by A.R.P. work- ers after a four-hour struggle during an air raid on North-West London.

As they dragged him to safety the Irishman, who had remained conscious throughout his ordeal, exclaimed: "Tell my wife, 'tis a miracle I'm alive.” He and his rescuers were threatened, too, by coal gas which hung on the surface of the water rushing from a burst water main.

Some of the rescue squad had to hold Jackson's head above the water, while others tore at the clay and rubble which pinned his feet.

Firemen helped, pumped water from the basement. They pre-

U-BOAT

PUT TO

vented it from rising and drown- FLIGHT

ing the trapped man.

A doctor crawled amid the wreckage to administer morphia.

While the rescue squad was at work in the front basement other workers were dragging Jackson's wife and two small children from debris in the next room. They

were unhurt.

"Gas Was Terrible"

Jackson himself was suffering only from shock and bruises.

At the back of the house Jack- son's dog, only occupant of an Anderson shelter, was unharmed.

Mr. C. Spear, one of the re- scue squad, told a reporter: "Jackson told me he had heard a terrific explosion, and got up to go into the rear part of the basement to his wife.

came

"Then another..bomb and he fell into a hole in the floor. He was trapped by his legs. His brother-in-law, man- aged to get out and called for help. "Mrs. Jackson and the children were partly trapped in the other

room.

"We had to put a rope under Jackpon's armpits to keep his head above the water which, at times came level with his chin.

"The gas was terrible, but Jack- sen was plucky and never lost heart once he knew his family were safe."

Warden Saves 14

in

Chocked and blinded and danger of being caught by tum- bling earth and concrete, Maurice Vent, a young deputy post ward- en, flung himself down the escape shaft of an underground space used as a shelter, in East London.'

He handed fourteen of the trapped people through the 2ft. square shaft to wardens waiting

above.

}. A bomb had ploughed a 10ft.. crater in the earth at the side of

the shelter, throwing down a sec- tion of the wall on to the families

who had been sleeping beneath it.

Several men, women and chil- dren lost their lives, including a father, mother and their three children, Several were seriously hurt.

With Sure Hands Vent said: "We could hardly see a thing, but people who had been sheltering on the side farthest from where the bomb fell seemed to have escaped with only minor

cuts and bruises.

I canie across

three

An automatic device to detect the fall of incendiary bombs has been adopted at St. Dun- stan's stores in Lon- don. Its design is based on suggestions made by members of the staff, many of whom are blind ex-" Service men.

It consists of a net slung Simmediately below the ceiling of the top floor, and suspended ot fre-

quent intervals round the edge on catapult elastic: Cords lead to delicate contact switches, which oper ate a bell in the air. raid shelter if an in- cendiary bomb pene- trates the roof.

This device is un- derstood to be so far the only one of its type in use.

Five men of a tanker's crew saved their ship after she had been torpedoed. While their mates waited for them in the boats, these five righted the ship oooooooo0000000000 and then manned the gun without light, for only by equalis- and put the `U-boat toing the tanks could the ship be flight.

The story of their courage and skill was told in London.

The tanker was torpedoed just before dawn. As she at once took a heavy list the crew were order- ed into the boats, with the excep- tion of four men who, with the captain, stayed on board.

brought to an even keel and be saved.

It was done.

About an hour later, as the

ship's boats were coming back alongside, a shell burst in the water nearby, and in the early morning light a U-boat was ceon about 1,500 yards off. More shells followed, but the defensive gun was quickly mann- ed and three rounds from it were One boat, with the chief en-enough to make the U-boat sub- gineer, lay alongside to take off merge. this small party if necessary, and the other boats "lay off" some dis- tance away.

Groped Their Way

The ship had been plunged in darkness by the explosion. The way to the valves had to be found

The tanker picked up her crew and has since arrived at an Eng lish port under her own steam.

Needless to say, this ship was claimed as sunk in a German High Command communique.

GERMAN 1936 PLAN

TO ATTACK NORWAY

GERMANY'S protestations that she invaded Norway to frustrate an intended Allied attack are shattered by an article in a Swedish newspaper, which claims that the Norwegian campaign was part of a German plan to encircle Britain.

The writer, Per Nystrom, in the Goteborg "Han- dels-Och Sjoforts-Tidning," tells how Germany made ready her stroke.

The practical work for the or- ganisation of the Skagerrak front, he says, can with certainty be dat- ed as far back as 1936, and pro- bably had its beginnings even ear- ller.

By the autumn of 1930 these preparations had advanced so far that the then War Minister, Gen- eral von Blomberg, considered that the time was ripe to investigate the possibilities of setting up the necessary bases. He asked per- mission of the Norwegian authori- ties to undertake a pleasure trip in the naval yacht Grille during October-a time when the autumn storms had alre storms had already begun,

tle exercises near Norwegian ter- ritorial waters and then entered actual Norwegian territory.

In the spring of 1937 two, light. cruisers passed through Karm- sund, the difficult strait between Haugesund and Karmoya, and at the end of July four German minelayers suddenly sailed Into Bergen's roadstead, without the permission of the Norwegian De- fence Department.

"I handed them through the escape shaft to Wardens Cohen and Bristow,

"Then people partly burled in earth and sand. I dug them out with

bare hands. ̧* Next I came across a man pinned by the head with A number of places which he masonry. We lovered. it off and, desired to visit were mentioned. he escaped with only slight, in: | In accordance with the customs Along the coast great barracks, of international politeness, he re-were built where necessary ex-

Bases Ready.

During 1938 new German basce within the Belt were ready. Among other things, a naval port had been built at Nurwik, near Flensburg, which could rival oven, Wilhelmsh&fon and Klol)

in, preparedness.

A constable jumped into a ceived the necessary permission.peditionary forces could be kept flooded crater six feet deep to „help a doctor who was giving first -aid to a man and woman trapped

under the wreckage of a house. In south-west. London, va

While the doctor gave Injaos tions of morphla tho, pollcoman supported a wall and other de brian which was in danger of collapse.

The victims were freed after much difficulty and taken to hos¬

With him were-some: 20 higher military officials.

The journey attracted a certain amount of attention because the boat sailed into Narvik, permis- sion to visit which had neither been requested nor given.

From that moment the German Fleet began to carry out systema,

Near the naval base a large aerodromo “with underground hangars, was, bullt, and another; bably the largest in Northern laid out at Schleswig, was pro

Europe,

The plans for the attuck" on Denmark and Norway were pro- bably worked out, to the inallest detail

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